Series: Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 2 - Volume 2
UK Release date: 28 Mar 2011
Distributor: Beez
Certificate: 15
Running time: 200 mins
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Starring: Setsuna Efu Seiei, Rokkuon Sutoratosu, Areruya Haputizumu, Tieria Āde
Genre: Anime
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Japan
Language: Japanese
Review by: Jonny Roydon
Written by Yōsuke Kuroda, who wrote the 1992 classic Tenchi Muyo! and directed by Seiji Mizushima of Fullmetal Alchemist fame. This is the 7th incarnation of Sunrise Studio’s Gundam franchise; giant robot battle suits called Gundam that each story revolves around. It originally aired in 2007/2008 and is the first Gundam series based in our own universe. It incorporates elements of present day international conflicts along with fictional additions in a tense 2307A.D. setting.
Celestial Being are on the run, desperately trying to reach their hidden asteroid base at Lagrange 3. The A-LAWS are hot on their trail, however, and mysteriously seem to know their movements. After repelling the initial attack by employing their new weapon – The Twin Driver O Raiser – Celestial Being earn a little breathing space, but are quickly drawn back into the urgent worldwide conflict when The Innovators mastermind, and secret controller of the A-LAWS, Ribbons Almark, reveals a devastating new weapon – The Memento Mori – a satellite capable of wiping out entire cities from space. On a more personal level, Setsuna finally discovers who piloted the Gundam he encountered as a child.
There are even bigger problems ahead, however, as on top of their possible mole, the city destroying satellite, and the relentless A-LAWS, Celestial Being may have no choice but to enact another intervention. This time in response to a coup that aims to overthrow the worldwide dictatorship...
This section dives straight into the action. No time is wasted getting things underway - early on the Gundam are launched and a brief but intense battle takes place, paving the way for more close quarters Gundam battles. Overall, though, the balance is tipped more towards story than action during these episodes, with the focus on revealing intrigue rather than character development.
3D effects are used a great deal, some blending seamlessly with the cell shading – in particular with the O-Raiser Twin Driver Gundam – which is rendered beautifully, creating an eye popping contrast with the other Gundam. At other times, the use of 3D is jarring and obvious, but it is easily forgiven by the fast-paced driving storyline.
The pacing is further illustrated by the lack of background detail. The focus is clearly on the front of screen action with only very brief, sparse landscapes which makes the overall artwork and – in terms of narrative - vastly differing locations blend into one in a rather flat manner. Control rooms and flight decks across the various faction’s ships and bases all look very similar and the location can often only be told by the colour of a character’s uniform. This creates a feeling of blandness that the intricate storyline can’t quite make up for. The individual character detail goes a long way in filling this gap, however. Unique personalities, personal struggles and a multitude of different agendas, even within each faction, provide a sense of realness. The drama of the inter character relations and the often bittersweet outcomes makes for intense viewing.
The battles themselves provide a good amount of tension, thanks to the engaging and fast moving storyline, yet they feel cheaply animated. Similar shots of the respective pilots in their cockpits are used throughout a clash, often bouncing from one pilot to another with only very brief images of an explosion or a weapon being fired. The action is rarely pictured from out wide, which makes it difficult to follow just who is attacking who. It even becomes difficult to tell apart the different units and factions from each other. New units joining a fray are often only introduced by a close-up of a laser firing, which creates the assumption that it was one of the current groups of soldiers. There is further confusion then when a new voice is heard and another close-up of an obscured pilot in a similar looking cockpit is displayed. They seem to simply appear on the battlefield without any indication as to where from.
The voice cast further fills the gap left by some of the poor visuals. With a few exceptions, the characters are really brought to life by the voice acting, adding to the unique personalities and intense passions, making the characters’ unique goals seem that much more believable. Genuine care is felt for the heroes’ plight and compassion, understanding, and even deference towards the antagonists is experienced. The lines between good and evil are greatly blurred, nothing is clear cut in Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
Despite the visual and artistic complaints, this is classic Gundam at its best. The storyline is intricate and involved, the characters are lifelike and unique, the action is tense and exciting and the voice acting is superb. This section of the story ends with a genuine edge-of-the-seat climactic battle on an immense scale where, in true Gundam style, the outcome is far from predictable. JR
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